This newsletter features:

* Report on the 19th Basic Income Earth Network Congress held in Hyderabad, India.

* Announcement of the 20th Congress to be held in Brisbane Australia 28 to 30 Sept. '20.

* Recommendation of the Interim Retirement Commissioner.

* Kotare Trust Workshop February 21 - 22, A fractured, Inadequate Welfare System.

* The NZ Productivity Commission, technology change and the future of work.

* Review of Guy Standing's 'The Plunder of the Commons'.

Report on the 19th BIEN Congress Hyderabad, India

Representatives from Basic Income New Zealand Bella Moke, Meleissa Selwyn-Rika, Iain Middleton and Gaylene Middleton travelled to Hyderabad, India in late August 2019 to attend the 19th World Basic Income Congress.

Although there were the academics, researchers, authors, and advocates participating, the real heart of the event were the recipients of Basic Income from various countries who shared their experiences. It confirmed, that if we are serious about real care for all in our country, BASIC INCOME must be applied.

The 20th Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress will be held in Brisbane, Australia, Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 September 2020.

Basic income, the ecological crisis and a new age of automation — https://www.bien2020.com/

An opportunity close to home to meet Basic Income friends and make new friends in the international Basic Income community.

The Interim Retirement Commissioner has recommended that the age of eligibility for National Superannuation is NOT increased.

It has long been a concern that previous Retirement Commissioners reports have recommended increasing the age of eligibility because NZ Superannuation is a Basic Income scheme and BINZ would like to see more people on a Basic Income not less.

Net Working Opportunity: Welfare: A fractured, inadequate system - where to from here?

10.00am Fri 21 Feb - 3.00pm Sat 22 Feb 2020

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The BINZ committee will attend the upcoming Kotare Trust Workshop on the present NZ welfare system. The introduction of the Basic Income model is an opportunity to be rid of the punitive measures that treat many New Zealanders so harshly.

Kotare Trust writes: "The state of our fractured inadequate welfare system is one of the toughest issues currently facing those who work at the frontline of social and community services, as well as all of us who care passionately about economic, social, Tiriti and ecological justice in Aotearoa/NZ. In May 2019 the Welfare Expert Advisory Group (WEAG) issued its comprehensive report on New Zealand's welfare system Whakamana Tangata, containing well over 100 detailed recommendations. The government's response has been totally inadequate.

This workshop will consider questions including:

* What has happened since the release of the WEAG report in May, from both government and community perspectives?

* Did the WEAG report go far enough?

* What ideas do we have about longer term solutions and policies, placing welfare in the context of the dual climate and economic crises, and of the associated housing crisis?

* Is there a place for Basic Income/UBI?

* What thoughts might we share about tactics/strategies we could pursue to push for both immediate

reform and the longer-term transformation of our welfare system."

To book your place RSVP to education@kotare.org.nz by 14 February 2020

The New Zealand Productivity Commission

Technology Change and the Future of Work

The Government has asked the Productivity Commission to examine how New Zealand can maximise the opportunities and manage the risks of disruptive technological change and its impact on the future of work and the workforce.

The Commission has released five draft reports: Technology adoption by firms, Educating New Zealand's future workforce, Training New Zealand's workforce, Employment, labour markets and income, and New Zealand, technology and productivity. The Commission is seeking feedback, comments, and other evidence on these reports.

The report of interest to BINZ is the Employment, labour markets and income Report.

In Section 3 Income Smoothing for Workers there is a sub section 3.9 Universal Basic Income https://www.productivity.govt.nz/assets/Documents/437c9e3982/Draft-report-2-Employment-labour-markets-and-income-v3.pdf

At the end of this subsection their Finding and Conclusion is: Technological change does not create a case for a universal basic income in New Zealand. Universal and unconditional payments to a wide population are unavoidably expensive if they are set at levels that support a decent standard of living. There are better ways to address concerns about technological change. The Commission does not see merit in further investigating this option as a means of improving income smoothing.

BINZ is in complete disagreement with Section 3.9 and their conclusions which appear to be based on dubious calculations, perpetuating the "Gross Income Error", and a biased selection of articles and references designed to perpetuate the unaffordability myth.

We have put in a Submission to register our disagreement:

Guy Standing's latest book :

Plunder of the Commons

A Manifesto for sharing Public Wealth

Professor Standing has always maintained that a good society is one where people have empathy- an underlying tenet of Basic Income. In this, his latest book, he reminds us that we urgently need to re-instate those commons type institutions that used to promote empathy, institutions long since abolished by Neo-liberal governments everywhere, seeking more profit for corporations and ruling elites........